# Which wine?



## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

Alright guys I am buying a bottle of wine tomorrow, but I need some help so I don't buy something that I will hate. What I'm looking for is a red wine, I want it really smooth with a berry/sweet/fruity taste to it. Any help? I heard Merlots are good, but then brings the further question which is a nice Merlot to get?


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## GoodFella (Nov 3, 2007)

i got a bottle of danzante merlot 02 from italy on close out for about 6$ and i was blown away at how good it was. i dont like merlots at all but this was good. i got it to just have for people who come over who dont drink wine so i would not have to open a bottle of my bordex. these bottels now have a home in my wine cooler. if you want a fruiter wine look for a wine from a cooler country such as north cali, france or italy. wines from aussi tend to be a little on the strong side with highe alc.


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

Oh I don't mind high alcohol content, if it helps I've had Yellow Tail whine but I don't remember which one it was  But it was absolutely delectable! I tried doing a search on the forums but I am in a sort of rush since I need to buy it by a certain time 


I was looking at yellowtails site what is the difference between Cabernet Merlot and regular Merlot?


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## mikeyj23 (Feb 25, 2007)

There's a fantastic Austrialian red out called Pillar Box Red. Sketchy name, fantastic wine. You can find it a lot of places for under ten bones, but it's stellar. Very fruity, very full, very tasty. 91 Points Robert Parker.


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

There are definitely some great merlot's out there that can be had for a good price. But for something a bit fruitier and more berry like. I would recommend an Oregon Pinot Noir. Many can be found for less than $10-12 a bottle and most are quite good. A bit pricier would be a Napa or Sonoma Pinot from the Carneros region. :tu Also some great Pinot's coming from down under, but I am a bit biased towards the Napa Valley's. My:2


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks a bunch guys I appreciate the quick feed back :tu:tu


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## Tredegar (Nov 27, 2007)

Merlots tend to be heavy though. If you want a lighter red wine I would go with a Pinot Noir. Most are drinkable straight out of the bottle. I have found that Merlots take a few years of aging to properly bring out all their flavor.


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## TripleF (May 16, 2007)

If you haven't tried port you might want to consider that as well. Sweet and rich...................yuuuuhhmeeeeeeeeeee.


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## gvarsity (Dec 12, 2006)

I'm not typically a Merlot fan myself. I really enjoy Rhone wines from france. Some are really quite reasonable. Cote de Rhones are one of the regions that are reasonable and can have nice fruit forward jammy flavors. I also really like Red Zinfendels which can be pretty spicy along with fruit. A less spicy really fruity Red Zin that I give to hosts at partys a lot is Rancho Zabacco Dancing Bull Red Zinfendel. Really big and fruity. Total flavor bomb. Anyway find a wine store and ask the staff. I used to work in a wine shop and any staff member in a place that sells primarily wine should be able to lead you to 5-6 bottles in any price range from 5$ on up that will fit your described taste and introduce you to new varieties as well.


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

I think you need an Australian Shiraz. They're probably about as fruity/berry as you can get. Very smooth, easy to drink, excellent for people who want to drink red wine but don't like wine. I'll bet it was probably the YellowTail Shiraz you enjoyed (they're most popular variety).

Pinot Noir and Merlot can both be too tannic or the the alcohol can be too prevalent (even without a high alcohol content) in a cheap bottle. It's been my experience that anything typically aged in oak will turn off a new wine drinker, especially if it's a young wine, unless it's done well. There are definitely good cheap bottles out there, but I think they're harder to find than a good cheap Shiraz. 

Personally I find all of the Yellowtail line to be pretty similar. If you had one and liked it, grab another bottle. Their Shiraz is usually less than $10, it's the one with the yellow label (different colors for different grapes).

Red Zinfandel would be my second suggestion. Usually a little spicier than Shiraz, very full-bodied, and higher alcohol (especially from California), but still pretty easy to drink.


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## smokin5 (Mar 28, 2007)

I also agree with the Pinot Noir choice.
A very good one is Castle Rock.
Costs about $10-12/750 ml

Another idea for sweet/fruity is a nice Beaujoulais, like Louis Jadot.
Same basic price range.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

Red from Loire Valley is a good choice and excellent value. Gamay and Cab. Franc blend.


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## AD720 (Jan 14, 2008)

Mark C said:


> I think you need an Australian Shiraz.


:tpd:

I will throw my hat in for Wishing Tree Shiraz. It is great at about 11 bucks a bottle. I feel it is more complex and pleasing than the Yellow Tail, but really any Aussy red is going to pretty much the same.

You could also try a red from Spain or Argentina.


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

Well i bought some

I believe I got an aussie wine Yellow Tail Merlot and Shiraz 

I'm drinking the merlot right now, shiraz will be later on this week . Its cold and it tastes absolutely delishishlishly yummy 

And for 6 bucks per 750 bottle I can't complain


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

Thillium said:


> Well i bought some
> 
> I believe I got an aussie wine Yellow Tail Merlot and Shiraz
> 
> ...


Yup, that's definitely from the land of Kangaroos and Men at Work. Congrats on finding a bargain wine you enjoy.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy your ride down another slope.


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## houdini (Feb 6, 2008)

fishforfree said:


> If you haven't tried port you might want to consider that as well. Sweet and rich...................yuuuuhhmeeeeeeeeeee.


ABSOLUTELY

Try Niepoort..My favorite port


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

Mark C said:


> Yup, that's definitely from the land of Kangaroos and Men at Work. Congrats on finding a bargain wine you enjoy.
> 
> Sit back, relax, and enjoy your ride down another slope.


I am enjoying the Shiraz tonight, while I had the Merlot only 2 hours in the fridge I let the shiraz sit for the entire night. I had a glass of merlot again tonight to compare and I must say I love them extremely cold


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

houdini said:


> ABSOLUTELY
> 
> Try Niepoort..My favorite port


Niepoort is a good brand. Good luck trying to find any variety in the USA. Outside of modern vintages and an occasional Colheita; that's it.

Last weekend I did drink a 1940 Niepoort Garrafeira, but that is super rare with only maybe a dozen or so bottles left in the world.

Niepoort makes some great dry wines too. Their Batuta is a really banger, but may be a little more money than the original poster wants to spend; as is most of Niepoort's wines.


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## koolbooy (Dec 16, 2007)

i agree with the people saying Shiraz, from reading your post, thats pretty much exactly what your looking for.

if you want a cheap and really sugary/fruity wine, go with a *Yellow Tail*. Its cheap, you can find it almost anywhere and its one of the biggest selling wines right now ....... maybe i shouldn't use the word "cheap", because when people hear "cheap" and "wine" in the same sentence they get scared. a better word for *Yellow Tail* is "affordable". just because its "cheap"(aka affordable) doesnt make it a bad tasting wine and if fruity is what you want, this is it ! my recommendations for *Yellow Tail* ......

1. "Yellow Tail Shiraz" : 
2. "Yellow Tail Shiraz / Cabernet" : Personally, i feel this bottle is the better of the two. Its 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet.

if you want something in the middle (as far as price goes) for a Shiraz wine. I recommend *STEP RD*. this is like my "go to" cigar, i know when i buy this wine, i wont be disappointed. its not to fruity, its perfectly balanced in my opinion. its one of my fav's! so whats my recommendations? .........

1. STEP RD 2005 BLACKWING Shiraz: i think this is the better one, 2005 is a great vintage.
2. STEP RD 2004 LANGHORNE CREEK Shiraz

*if you cant find an 04 o 05 who cares, the 06 is just as good !

Now, if you have chubby pockets and have some really great wine stores near by, i recommend 2 Shiraz wines that are fantastic.

1. *Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz*: FRUITY and strong on alcohol
2. *Amon-Ra Shiraz*: I LOVE THIS WINE.

remember, let your wine breath ! getting some oxygen in your wine, brings out the beautiful aroma ! i like to keep my bottles open an hour or two before i drink, you dont really need a fancy decanter or anything like that, just pop the cork and let it breath a little while before drinking. good luck and keep us updated on what you got !


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## koolbooy (Dec 16, 2007)

wow i guess i should read the post more before posting, right :r ....... i didnt know you alredy bought the wine lol

anyways, good choice. enjoy !!


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

I am going to let the wine breath a bit tonight  Thank you for the great suggestion, I didn't even think of it :tu


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

Thillium said:


> I am going to let the wine breath a bit tonight  Thank you for the great suggestion, I didn't even think of it :tu


If it's the same bottle you opened a night or two ago, it's already had plenty of time to breath.

An open bottle (even with the cork back in it) on the counter will start to oxidize and degrade after ~2 days. It'll last a few more days if you keep it in the fridge.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

Thillium said:


> Alright guys I am buying a bottle of wine tomorrow, but I need some help so I don't buy something that I will hate. What I'm looking for is a red wine, I want it really smooth with a berry/sweet/fruity taste to it. Any help? I heard Merlots are good, but then brings the further question which is a nice Merlot to get?


If you live in NH as you profile states, do yourself a favor and go to the state packy and get a bottle of Sandeman 20 year tawny port. They sell it for around $37.00 and it's close to $60 virtually everywhere else. This is one of the best tawny ports available and a sheer joy to drink.


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## rumballs (Mar 15, 2005)

Thillium said:


> I am enjoying the Shiraz tonight, while I had the Merlot only 2 hours in the fridge I let the shiraz sit for the entire night. I had a glass of merlot again tonight to compare and I must say I love them extremely cold


Might I venture a guess that you like it extremely cold because it is Yellow Tail? Drinking it really cold would mask the "rubbing alcohol" flavor in Yellow Tail 

NH Liquor store used to have a wine sale every month - it was usually some percentage off of a case, sometimes with restrictions by country.
Your best bet is to buy a mixed case, try to include various kinds of wine from various countries. Then just start to figure out what you like.


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

mosesbotbol said:


> If you live in NH as you profile states, do yourself a favor and go to the state packy and get a bottle of Sandeman 20 year tawny port. They sell it for around $37.00 and it's close to $60 virtually everywhere else. This is one of the best tawny ports available and a sheer joy to drink.


HAHA! And I must say you probably live in mass for calling the liquor store a packy  . And your outrageous alcohol prices! I will look into  .


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

mmblz said:


> Might I venture a guess that you like it extremely cold because it is Yellow Tail? Drinking it really cold would mask the "rubbing alcohol" flavor in Yellow Tail
> 
> NH Liquor store used to have a wine sale every month - it was usually some percentage off of a case, sometimes with restrictions by country.
> Your best bet is to buy a mixed case, try to include various kinds of wine from various countries. Then just start to figure out what you like.


haha I thought it just tasted a little strong  . 
I'm quite use to drinking warm gin haha.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

Thillium said:


> HAHA! And I must say you probably live in mass for calling the liquor store a packy  . And your outrageous alcohol prices! I will look into  .


Yes, a Masshole 100%. Our liquor store prices are actually among lowest on a national scale, we pay no sales tax on booze, but NH liqour has some fantastic deals and many are the same as MA. You have to know how much stuff costs.


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

mosesbotbol said:


> Yes, a Masshole 100%. Our liquor store prices are actually among lowest on a national scale, we pay no sales tax on booze, but NH liqour has some fantastic deals and many are the same as MA. You have to know how much stuff costs.


I'm usually down in Fall River , but I live 15 minutes away from Methuen, and 10 from Haverhill. You have a good point, but you still do have to pay sales tax!!!:ss:ss:ss


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

One serious gem at the NH liquor store is the Chateau D Arche Sauternes 375 ml Sautrenes for $14.00! I am picking up a few cases the next time I am in that area. There's also a few other smokin' deals, but I do not want to let the cat out of the bag


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## Thillium (Jan 14, 2008)

mosesbotbol said:


> One serious gem at the NH liquor store is the Chateau D Arche Sauternes 375 ml Sautrenes for $14.00! I am picking up a few cases the next time I am in that area. There's also a few other smokin' deals, but I do not want to let the cat out of the bag


Excellent!!! I'm buying more Wine tomorrow!  I will surely look for it.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

Was at the NH Liquor store on Sunday; plenty of good deals. There's a magnum of Chianti for $11.00 from 2001 that is a great deal. I forget the name, but you can't miss it. Has a maroon label.


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